Innocence Lost And Found
by Marymel
Summary: Jackson comforts Brass and meets his ex-wife. Mild spoilers for "Skin In The Game."


**Jackson is my original character, but I don't own CSI.**

**I won't spoil it for anyone who hasn't seen the season 13 finale, but we finally get to meet Nancy Brass, Jim's ex-wife. I thought I'd hate her, but I actually felt sorry for her. And I wondered...what if a certain CSI's son met the woman? Of course, I had to write it! And...here's what I came up with. Hope you all enjoy...and pretty please review! **

**Oh, and I will probably write more stories around "Skin In The Game," but I'll probably wait til closer to the season 14 première, to see how everything's resolved.**

As she sat in her ex-husband's office, Nancy Brass wondered where she'd gone wrong with her daughter Ellie. She knew Jim Brass was a lousy husband, but she had to admit he was a good father. Even if Ellie did everything she could to hurt Jim - and her - she was still her daughter, and Jim was the only father she'd ever known.

She was brought out of her thoughts when she saw a little red-haired boy standing in the doorway. She smiled as he looked around the room.

"Um...hello, sweetie. Are you lost?"

He shook his head. "I looking for my Uncle Jim. Have you seen him?"

Nancy shook her head. "He was just here a little while ago. I think he had some business to take care of."

"Okay," the little boy said.

Nancy couldn't help but smile at the shy little boy. "Is there something I can help you with?"

"Do you know if he got any crayons? He told me he was gunna get some more crayons so I could color him a picture."

"Oh, that's a very sweet thing to do." She glanced over at Jim's desk. "I don't see any crayons on his desk."

Just then, Jim Brass came up behind the little boy. "Your daddy must be looking for you."

The little boy looked up and smiled. "Hi, Uncle Jim!"

Jim laughed softly. "Hey!" He smiled sadly at Nancy watching them. It was surreal to see her ex-husband interact so naturally with the little boy.

"Did you 'member da crayons?"

"I did," Jim said as he took the his hand and led him into the office. "I want you to meet someone first." Pointing to the beautiful brunette woman, he said, "This is Nancy. She's an old friend of mine."

"Hi!"

"Hello," Nancy said with a smile.

"Nancy, this is Jackson. His dad is a CSI I work with...and he's probably wondering where he went off to."

Jackson smiled. "He had to talk to Uncle D.B. about sumfin'."

"Oh, I see," Jim said with a smile. As much as he missed Ellie and wanted to help his daughter, he knew Jackson loved him and his father.

Nancy watched Jim and Jackson and a sad smile crept onto her face. As she watched Jim lead the little boy to his desk and pull some crayons out of a drawer, Nancy thought about where she might have gone wrong with Ellie.

Jackson climbed into Jim's chair and began coloring. Jim watched the innocent child and thought about his own daughter. She loved to color and hum little songs to herself when she was little, and Jim hoped she would be found safe and he and Nancy would get the chance to make amends.

As if she was reading Jim's mind, Nancy said, "You were a good dad."

Jim looked at his ex-wife in surprise.

"You were! You may have been a lousy husband, but you did your best to be a good dad, even...even if I never made it easy for you."

Jim smiled sadly. "Thank you."

Jackson looked up at Nancy. "Can I draw you a picture?"

Nancy blinked in surprise. "You...you want to draw me a picture."

"Yeah, I like to draw. Would you like me to draw you sumfin'?"

A smile found its way to Nancy's face. "Sure. What would you like to draw?"

Jackson tapped his finger to his chin. "Do you like butterflies?"

"I love them." Nancy smiled at the sweet, innocent child.

Jackson immediately began coloring away. "Uncle Jim, do you want me to color sumfin' for you?"

Jim laughed softly. "Sure."

Greg came to the door and saw his son coloring happily at Jim's desk. He had to smile as he saw his son busily coloring and talking to the detective.

Jackson stopped coloring and offered the paper to Nancy. "Here you go!"

Nancy smiled and took the drawing. As she looked at the colors and shapes, a tear fell down her cheek.

"I sorry," Jackson said.

Shaking her head, Nancy said, "No, sweetie. You have nothing to be sorry for. I _love _this!"

"You do?"

"I do." As she looked at the pretty drawing, Nancy said a silent prayer that her own child would be found safe and she and Jim would have a chance with her. Looking at Jackson, she said, "This is so beautiful. It reminded me of my own little girl...she used to color pictures all the time when she was your size."

Jackson curiously watched the woman in front of him. "She not here?"

Nancy sighed quietly. Jim smiled sadly at the little boy. "No...but hopefully, we'll find her."

Jackson smiled up at his Uncle Jim. "I hope so, Uncle Jim." Looking back at Nancy, he asked, "Den will you not be sad?"

Nancy smiled at the sweet little boy. "I hope so. But...this is really beautiful. You're a very good artist."

"Thank you," Jackson said with a smile.

Greg knocked softly. "I thought I might find you here."

"Hi, daddy!" Jackson said. Smiling at Nancy, he said, "Dis a friend of Uncle Jim's."

Nancy and Greg smiled at each other. "I'm sorry if he bothered you."

"No," Nancy said, shaking her head. "It's no bother at all. I've enjoyed meeting..."

"Jackson," Jim whispered.

"Jackson. He's a very sweet little guy."

Greg smiled. "Yeah, he hardly ever meets a stranger." Looking at Jim, he added, "I'm sorry if he bothered you."

"He didn't," Jim said. He smiled at the little boy coloring and chatting, happily unaware of the case his father and the team were currently working.

"Daddy, are you gunna be home tonight?" Jackson asked.

Greg came and stood beside Jim. "No, not tonight. But I'm going to be home when you get out of preschool tomorrow."

Jackson frowned, and Nancy and Jim remembered how Ellie would wait for her father to come home from working cases.

Greg put his arm around Jackson. "I do have a little time, so you and I can have some lunch if you want."

Jackson smiled up at his father. "Can we get peanut butter an' jelly sammiches?"

"Sure!" Greg said, smiling at his beautiful son.

"And I think they've got some chocolate milk in the fridge in the break room," Jim said with a wink at the little boy.

Jackson smiled. "Okay!" He stopped coloring and handed the drawing to Jim. "Dis is for you! It a bear, but it not scary."

"Yeah, I can see that," Jim said. He smiled as he looked at the drawing. "This is wonderful, kid."

"Thank you." Jackson smiled at Nancy. "Do you wanna have some sammiches wif us?"

Nancy smiled sadly. "No, thank you. I think you and your daddy..."

"Greg," Jim said. "Oh, Greg Sanders, this is my ex-wife, Nancy."

"Hello," they said simultaneously as they shook hands.

Greg turned back to Jim and Jackson. "Well, I think we'd better get some lunch." Looking at the detective he admired, Greg added, "I hope things work out."

"Thank you," Jim said honestly.

Greg turned back to the woman smiling at Jackson. Clearing his throat, Greg said, "I know it's probably none of my business...but I do hope we find her and she's okay."

Blinking in surprise, Nancy smiled at the younger man. "Um...thank you."

Jackson hugged Jim, and the detective smiled as the little boy wrapped his arms around his neck. "Thank you, kid."

"You welcome." Jackson jumped out of the chair and smiled at Nancy. "You not sad?"

Nancy smiled at the sweet, innocent child. "I am sad, but you've made me a little happier. I-I'll be okay, sweetie."

Jackson smiled and hugged Nancy. The woman was taken aback, but put her arms around the sweet boy. "Thank you, honey."

"You welcome," Jackson said, smiling up at Nancy. He rushed to Greg's arms and giggled when his daddy lifted him in his arms.

"You ready for lunch?" Greg asked.

"Yeah!"

Jim and Nancy watched the father and son laugh and chat about lunch and drawing and whatever else came to mind. As they left, Jim sighed shakily.

Nancy seemed to know what her ex-husband was thinking. "I-I know this is weird coming from me...but I believe we'll find her. And...she will find her way back to you."

Jim smiled at the woman he once loved. He saw no anger - just hurt and fear. "I have to believe that," he said quietly. Gesturing to the door, he added, "Greg once told me that I'm still a good man." He shook his head as he thought about his past with his family.

Feeling all the pain, anger and hurt she had from the past slide off, Nancy quietly walked over and stood in front of the man she once loved. "You are," she said with certainty.

Jim offered a sad smile as Nancy left to go back to her hotel. As he watched the woman he once swore he'd love all his life sadly walk away, he said a silent prayer that Ellie would be found alive and that somehow he'd have another chance with his daughter...and maybe even a friendship with Nancy.

**The End.**


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